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While Russia is often seen through the lens of cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, it has much more to offer. Natural landscapes turn Russia into a paradise for travelers, which to this day is not so wide open to the eyes of the layman. For all passionate travelers, we officially declare here the most breathtaking mountains!
Even if you are not an avid mountaineer or mountain climber, visiting these stunning peaks will add some adventure to your Russian holiday.
«Is there anything better than mountains? Mountains you haven’t visited yet“. Ask any Russian and they will surely recognize this famous song by Vladimir Vysotsky. And who can really disagree with that?
Caucasus, Altai, Ural, Siberia, Kamchatka – there are many places in the country where climbers and tourists can experience the magic of mighty peaks for themselves.
We present you a list of the 10 highest mountains in Russia – an extensive geography, as well as the highest points on the map with names and peak heights – information for grade 4.
10 Belukha, 4905 m
Towering in the Republic of Altai, Belukha is a three-peak mountain range that rises along the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, just a few tens of miles north of the point where this border meets the border of China. There are several small glaciers on the mountain, including the Belukha glacier.
Belukha was first climbed in 1914 by the Tronov brothers. Most ascents to the eastern summit follow the same southern route as the first ascent. Although Altai is lower in elevation than other Asian mountain groups, it is very remote and requires a lot of time and planning to approach.
9. Klyuchevskaya Sopka, 4850 m
Klyuchevskaya hill appeared 6000 years ago. Its first recorded eruption was in 1697, and since then it has been almost continuously active, as have many of its neighboring volcanoes.
The peak was first climbed in 1788 by Daniel Gauss and two other members of the Billings expedition. Other climbs were not recorded until 1931, when several climbers were killed by flying lava on the descent. Since such dangers still exist today, few ascents have been made to the summit.
Klyuchevskaya Sopka is considered sacred by some indigenous peoples, and is regarded by them as the place where the world was created. Other volcanoes in the region have similar spiritual significance, but Klyuchevskaya Sopka is the most sacred of them.
8. Shota Rustaveli Peak, 4859 m
The mountain, better known as Shota Rustaveli Peak is located in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range on the border of Svanetia (Georgia) and Kabardino-Balkaria (Russia).
Shota Rustaveli is usually the ninth highest point in the Caucasus. The slopes of the mountain are glacial, and some of the glaciers descend well into the neighboring valleys. Its name takes its roots from the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli.
7. Mizhirgi, 5025 m
In early January 2009, Sasha Gukov, Sergey Kondrashkin, Alik Izotov and Viktor Koval made the first winter ascent of the northern ridge of the Eastern Peak Mizyrgi.
Mizhirgi – the eastern auxiliary peak of Dykhtau, on the ridge in the direction of Koshtuntau; its northern side rises almost 2000 m above the basin of the Mizhirgi glacier.
The route was first climbed in August 1952 by Vasily Pelevin’s five-man team on a hard 5B, but is rarely repeated due to bad rock and rockfall at the bottom. The team experienced a lot of bad weather in 2009, making five bivouacs before reaching the summit.
6. Kazbek, 5032 m
Known locally as Mkinvartsveri or top of a glacier, mountain Kazbek rises to 5032 meters above sea level, making it the highest mountain in eastern Georgia and one of the highest in Russia. The peak is located right on the border with Russia, but the easiest way to climb is from the Georgian side.
Due to the relative ease with which this dormant stratovolcano rises and the breathtaking views from the summit, Mount Kazbek is one of the most popular destinations for climbers in the Caucasus Range. Most tourists flock to climb it during June and July, but local guides also offer winter trips for downhill skiing.
Mount Kazbek was first conquered in 1868 by an expedition of English and French climbers in the Alpine Club, but for a long time it had cultural and historical significance for the local population.
According to legend, the Georgian version of Prometheus was chained to this mountain as punishment for stealing fire from the gods and then passing it on to mortals.
5. Pushkin Peak, 5100 m
Pushkin Peak located in the Dykh-Tau Bezengi mountain range (Central Caucasus, Russia) between Eastern Dykh-Tau and Borovikov Peak. From the top of Borovikov peak to the north there is a thin ridge.
Subdued in 1961 by the Spartak team led by Kletsko (3rd place in the USSR championship). The route of Kletsko ran to the left of Borovikov Peak to the west of Mizhirga.
There is another track on Pushkinskaya 5V, laid by Kudinov in 1972 (4th place in the USSR championship), passing more on the right. It goes along the avalanche-prone hanging glacier and is dangerous due to the collapse of ice from the upper hanging glacier.
4. Koshtan Tau, 5152 m
Planting – the fourth highest mountain in Europe. This is one of the two “Bezengi Brothers”, marking the eastern tip of the Northern massif. The Great Pyramid of Koshtana is impressive and its northwest face gives you a good idea of how challenging climbing the Caucasus can be.
The north ridge route is fairly straight but long. In addition, the journey to this peak is challenging and difficult as you have to climb three steps of the Mijirgi glacier.
Most of the other routes on the summit are difficult and dangerous. A few years ago, a whole team of Ukrainian climbers was killed at the top during a rock climbing competition. Peak is also known as Sowing Tau.
3. Shkhara, 5193 m
Shkhara is the highest point and the eastern anchor of the massif known as the Bezinga (or Bezengi) wall, a 12 km ridge. This is a large, steep peak in a heavily iced region, presenting serious problems for climbers. Its northern side (on the Russian side) is 1500 meters high and contains some classic difficult routes.
The significant peak of Shkhara in the west, 5193 m high, is a climbing target in itself, and crossing the entire Bezinga wall is considered “the longest, most difficult expedition in Europe”.
The peak was first climbed in 1888 along the Northeast Ridge route by the British-Swiss team of W. Almer, J. Kokin and C. Roth. This route is still one of the easiest and most popular routes on the mountain. The first full run of the Besinji wall was in 1931 by the Austrians K. Poppinger, K. Moldan and S. Schintlmeister.
2. Dykh-tau, 5204 m
Dykh-Tau is the second largest in the Caucasus mountains after Elbrus and the second highest in Europe.
This is one of the great Caucasian peaks facing the magnificent Bezinga wall across the Bezingi glacier. The first ascent of Mummery and Zarfluh in 1888 was a major achievement of the time. Their route up the southwest ridge is no longer used as a regular route.
1. Elbrus, 5642 m
Elbrus is an extinct volcano with two cones reaching 5642 meters and 5595 meters in height. The volcano formed over 2,5 million years ago. Sulfuric gases are still vented on its eastern slopes, and there are many mineral springs along the downstreams.
The total area of Elbrus is 138 sq. km covered by 22 glaciers that feed the Kuban River and some of the upper reaches of the Terek. Elbrus is a major center of mountaineering and tourism in the Caucasus region. In 1964, an extensive tourist and climbing base with large sports facilities was opened.